BELETWEIN, Somalia May 7 (Garowe Online) - Ethiopian troops in central Somalia were ambushed Wednesday as they withdrew from one town and were heading back towards the Ethiopian border, locals said.

The fighting erupted around noon as a 30-truck Ethiopian army convoy left their positions in Bulo Burte, a town in Hiran region.

The Ethiopian contingent was attacked in a hilly village between Bulo Burto and Beletwein, the provincial seat of power.

Ethiopian soldiers

Local villagers reported that the battle lasted for nearly two hours, as Ethiopian soldiers exchanged a barrage of gunfire and artillery with Islamist insurgents.

Unconfirmed reports obtained by Garowe Online indicated that four Ethiopian army trucks were burned after sustaining insurgent rocket fire.

There were heavy casualties on both sides of the conflict, according to villagers, but casualty figures were difficult to obtain because of the fierce fighting.

In one brutal incident, Ethiopian soldiers who left the frontlines entered a small village where they pulled three Somali civilians from their home and executed them, according to local sources.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian army's largest base in Hiran region, located near the border village of Kala-Beyr, was pounded by at least seven mortars early Wednesday.

It is not clear if any soldier was hurt in the mortar attack, but locals said Ethiopian soldiers entered surrounding villages to conduct an investigation.

Somalia's Hiran region remains without a governor, even though Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein appointed a new administration last month.

Many members of the new regional authority have refused to accept the jobs, citing lack of resources and political discord domestically.

Yusuf Daboged, an Ethiopian-backed warlord who was the last governor of Hiran region, has maintained that he is the de facto governor, despite the Prime Minister's decree replacing him.

Mr. Daboged was last reported to be in Kala-Beyr alongside Ethiopian military commanders.

Source: Garowe Online